


our hearts are beating for ourselves

by winter_blizzard_warrior



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Banquets, Childhood Friends, Demons, Family Dynamics, Fighting, Gen, Kidnapping, Magic, Mobs, Monsters, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Supernatural Elements, Video Game Mechanics, inspired by the shadow hunters universe by Cassandra Clare
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:07:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26925610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/winter_blizzard_warrior/pseuds/winter_blizzard_warrior
Summary: “Did you really think that I would let your house of half-breeds to keep existing? Oh, you thought me a better man then.”~~~~~L’Manburg Manor stands tall on its hill. Surrounded by spruce trees on all sides, one can only find it if they look hard enough.Having only been up for eleven years, it’s reputation is not the best. From being a Manor only filled by hybrids, to the ugly rumor of its Head having killed their own family, the only thing keeping it afloat is the backing of several influential families from the capital Esempi.But when the ruling family of the continent decides that the Manor must go, the residents of L’Manburg are going to need all the help that they can get to make it out unscathed.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Darryl Noveschosch & Sapnap & Antfrost, Dave | Technoblade & Phil Watson & Wilbur Soot, Eret & Niki | Nihachu, Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, Zak Ahmed & Darryl Noveschosch
Comments: 4
Kudos: 152





	1. Prologue

The bushes underneath Niki’s windowsill rustled, jolting her out of her sleep. Her room is awash with moonlight, and when she stares out her window, she can see the stars twinkling in the dark sky. But the basket of apples she left on her desk are no longer there.

The ten year old takes a cursory glance at her door, a golden light shining in between the cracks of the doorframe. Her parents are still awake. Niki looks again at the window and the inky expanse of the night sky. She doesn’t want to bother her parents with what might just be a squirrel. There’s a small thud as she gets out of bed, and winces when she hears that the noise outside has completely stopped. 

Grabbing the knife underneath her pillow, Niki treads along her carpeted floor carefully, so as to not step on the creaky floorboard she knows that is in the middle of her room. There’s movement from outside again, and she quickens her pace. As soon as she’s on the edge of her desk, she vaults over it. She doesn’t stick the landing like her dad would have, instead landing in the bushes with an ‘oomph.’

She’s met with pure white eyes.

Niki almost screams and holds her knife out in front of her, terrified that she had somehow ran into a terinam right outside her window. But then the white glow fades away, and she’s staring right at a boy who looks no older than her. Her basket of apples is tucked into his side, his hand clasped around a bronze necklace.

“Why’d you take my basket?” Niki asks immediately, and the boy glances at the apples in his arms.

“I-I formally apologize!” The boy rambles, nervously glancing at her. “My brother and I have not eaten in several weeks, and I could not find any work to do, and-” Niki cuts him off.

“You big dummy, you could have just asked me! I would have given you some apples if you asked nicely,” Niki says, crossing her arms over her chest. “It’s not like apples are hard to find anyway. There’s an orchard an hour away from here.”

“O-oh. I promise that I will not steal from you again. But may I take a few of the apples to take back to my brother? You can keep the rest of them,” The boy says, holding out the basket towards her. Niki waves him off, pushing the basket back into his arms.

“Go ahead and take it! I’ve got plenty. If you need any more food, you can come back here. Hmmm, maybe knock on my window three times in a row and then once?” The boy’s shoulders sag in relief, and he clutches the basket closer to his chest.

“Thank you...um, what’s your name?” 

“Niki Odelight, at your service.” The boy hesitates before saying his name.

“Eret. And thank you, Niki. I am forever in your debt.”

~~~~~

Someone’s low humming breaks the forest’s silence, and Techno is immediately on edge. No one has come into the forest in a while, ever since he showed his face to that one boy who had wandered in on accident. He climbs higher into the trees to get a better look, shaking the leaves as he hops from branch to branch. The owner of the humming is a blond man with a green and white striped hat. The man looks up and meets Techno’s eyes.

“Alright mate, I can hear you climbing up there. Are you that boar hybrid that everyone’s been talking about? I’m not here to hurt you. Just was wondering if you wanted a place to stay,” The man explains, not taking his eyes off of Techno.

The pink haired boy snorts. “Yeah, and then you try killing me for being a hybrid. No thanks, I’d rather not die painfully today.”

In a blur of motion, the man is already up at Techno’s height, gusts of wind tearing a few leaves off their branches. Now, Techno can see that the man is not just a regular human. There’s gray feathery wings sticking out of the blond’s back, keeping him afloat.

“Mate, I know that it’s hard to believe. When I was first brought there, I didn’t believe it either. But it’s a good place, and can even help hybrids become umbras if they want to.” Techno’s fingers hover over the scar that runs from his shoulder to his wrist, the phantom pain bothering him every once in a while.

“How do I know you’re not lying? It could be some elaborate ruse to get my spine or something,” Techno responds, hands itching to grab the dagger at his belt.

“Hmm, I’ll tell you something about myself. Then, you can decide if you want to trust me or not,” the man says, lowering himself onto a branch next to the eleven year old. It creaks slightly under his weight, but the man doesn’t seem to notice. “I’m Philza Halfheart, but you can call me Phil, and-”

There’s the crunching of leaves from below.

A crossbow loads.

And an arrow flies through the sky.

Branches snap in half as the man with gray wings tumbles out of the sky, turning this way and that to find purchase on the trees surrounding him. He shrieks and screams as the sharp points of the trees tear at his skin, as the arrowhead buries itself deeper and deeper in between his shoulders. Phil crashes into the ground, a sickening crack coming from the impact.

Techno scrambles down the trees as silently as he can, and when he gets to the bottom, he feels sick. Phil’s wings are bent at an awkward angle, and the arrow is embedded right between his shoulder blades. Techno dives into a bush as a group moves closer.

“Damn bastard,” Someone says, and they kick Phil in the stomach. The blond groans. “Got in the way of my shot. Guess I’ll just put him out of his misery.”

Techno barely knows Phil. But he jumps out of the bushes anyways, brandishing his measly iron dagger.

“Half-breed made a new friend eh?” The group starts to load their crossbows, and Techno uses the time to dart in between them.

He slashes at a man’s ankles, strafing to the left to dodge an arrow. It finds itself in another man, and Techno sucker punches another. He stabs a man in between the eyes and uses his momentum to tackle another person into the ground. By the time he’s already taken down three fourths of the men, the others have already fled.

Techno wipes the blood off his cheek, staring at the crimson staining his shaky hands. Phil is still lying on the ground, completely silent.

“Alright old man, you better still be alive. I hope I didn’t kill those dudes for nothing,” The blond gives a raspy laugh, and Techno lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

“Let’s get you out of here. Maybe to that place you were telling me about.”

“You know, you sound really mature for what, a thirteen year old?”

“I’m eleven, but thanks for the compliment.”

~~~~~

“We’re lost,” George says, watching as his friend turned to face him, rustling the ferns around them.

“We are not lost. I’m just giving us a tour around the forest,” Dream retorts, taking quick glances around the foliage.

“Oh, we’re definitely lost,” Sapnap grins, and Dream smacks his shoulder.

“I hate you so much! We’re going to be missing until the next hunting season at this point!” George whines, throwing his hands into the air. 

Dream wheezes as George screams, his hands having touched a snake that was resting in the trees above. Sapnap, clearly annoyed, swats at the snake. It falls to the dirt with a thud, and slithers away.

“Don’t know why you’re being such a crybaby. We’re literally the youngest umbras in training,” Sapnap says, crossing his arms. George looks unsure, picking at his family crest pinned to the lapel of his jacket.

“Yeah,” Dream says, scanning the forest for any landmarks. He lets out a whoop of joy when he sees white smoke floating into the sky. “Guys, guys, there’s someone over there!”

The trio grins as they approach the source of the smoke, glad to find someone other than themselves in the forest. However, they find nothing but a still going fire, a ring of logs, an abandoned satchel, and a half broken sword. The sword is an odd color, and it’s hilt is made out of pure silver.

“Aw, that’s so lame,” Sapnap comments, picking up the sword and inspecting it. “If my father fixed up this sword though, it’d be pretty cool.” The boy swings the sword around, making sound effects as he does so.

Dream goes to the satchel first, digging through it to search for anything the group could use. He turns over a strange purple cube in his hands, finding a small hole filled with glowstone right in the middle. Dream puts it to the side and examines the rest of the items in the bag.

George takes a seat on one of the logs, tired and weary after walking for so long. He almost leans back, forgetting that there is no back to the log, before he sits up. He’s staring wide eyed at Sapnap, who’s still swinging the sword around like a maniac.

“Sapnap! Let go of the sword!” George shrieks, running towards his friend. He grabs the hilt of it, and tries to tug it away. An orange glow is emitting from the sword now, bright and hot like a wildfire.

“Dude, no way! It’s so cool!” Sapnap says, pulling the sword closer to him. George struggles, and is knocked back by Sapnap after the brunett gets a bit too close. Dream looks up from the amassed items by his side. “What’s your deal?”

“My deal is that-” Sapnap cries out as the glow consumes him, and Dream runs towards his friend. George is close behind him, and the two of them grab the sword and pull. It’s no use. Their friend is still trapped, wailing and screaming about how it burns. 

The orange glow is getting stronger. There’s flames crawling up Sapnap’s arms, and if Dream looks close, his friend’s eyes are turning amber.

There’s wingbeats from above them, sending gusts of wind that put out the fire. Dream and George are still focused on trying to get their friend out of the vortex that they don’t notice the person coming up from behind them.

“⎓ꖎᔑᒲᒷᓭ 𝙹⎓ リᒷℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ∷, ∷ᒷℸ ̣ ∷ᒷᔑℸ ̣ !"

Sapnap stops screaming, collapsing into Dream as the blond struggles to hold up his friend. George grabs the sword and chucks it as far as he can, and it lands into the bushes with a clang.

“You muffinhead! That was a precious family heirloom!” Their savior whines, heading over to the bushes to pick up the sword.

Now that Dream and George aren’t fighting to save their friend’s life, they get a closer look at their hero. They had massive reptilian wings, a pointed tail, and a floating halo above their horns. The both of them gulp. 

“Alright, what did you muffins think was going to happen when you grabbed the sword? Did you not read the label on the hilt? It specifically says, ʖᒷ∴ᔑ∷ᒷ! ℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ ⎓ꖎᔑᒲᒷᓭ 𝙹⎓ リᒷℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ∷ ∷ᒷᓭ╎↸ᒷ ⍑ᒷ∷ᒷ!” The stranger exclaims, throwing their hands into the air in exasperation.

“I’m sorry that we can’t understand your weird backwards language!” George retorts and the stranger turns around, their onyx skin and bright white eyes glowing slightly.

“Oh. Oh! Oh muffins, I overshot my destination! How am I supposed to get back to the Lymond estate now?”

“You mean the estate that burned down a few weeks ago? Don’t know why you want to go there, unless you want to meet the family. But I heard that everyone died in that fire,” Dream says, and the stranger’s inky skin turns gray.

“What? But Skeppy…” And the stranger breaks down crying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my brain: nooo go finish revising your other fic!  
> me: haha new au go brrrr
> 
> Terinams= demons
> 
> (literally had this idea for weeks after rereading the Dark Artifacts series by Cassandra Clare)


	2. sunset winds

“Adjust your stance!”

Tommy rolls under a swing from Techno. The pink haired man takes another swing, and Tommy takes a step back. 

“Watch for your weak spots!”

Techno feints left then jabs at Tommy’s right. The blond falls onto the padded mat, orange sunlight streaming through the windows behind him. Techno points his sword at Tommy’s neck, a bored expression on his face. Tommy grins. He’s not going to give up so easily.

“Be quick on your feet!” 

Tommy gets up, and slashes at Techno. The man side steps out of the way, and locks their swords together. Pointing the blade upwards, Tommy’s sword flies out of his hands and into the mat behind Techno. From the sidelines, Phil stands up from his seat and makes his way over to the duo.

“End! Good job Tommy. You lasted a bit longer than last time,” Phil assures the boy, as he slips a stopwatch into the pocket of his gray robe. 

“Which wasn’t that long at all,” Techno says, putting his wooden training sword back on its rack. Tommy does the same.

“Hey big man, I’ll be able to beat you soon,” Tommy retorts, and Techno snorts. However, the pink haired man smiles, showing off his golden tusks.

“Not likely,” Techno says. He’s been training since he was seven. He’s not going to lose to a teen that’s barely begun their training.

“Alright you two, go get washed up before dinner. I don’t think the others want to be smelling your sweat while they’re eating,” Phil says, and the two of them head towards the exit.

Phil watches the two bicker as they leave the training hall. He smiles fondly as he closes the blinds for the hall, the room becoming almost completely dark. Grabbing a runed flint and steel, he lights the torches on the walls, their white glow illuminating the small room. He too exits the room, making sure that all the torches are lit before he makes his way to the kitchen.

His steps echo through the carpeted hallway. Banners hang from the walls, crests and symbols of various influential families stitched on them. Wastaeken masks, Amethory trophies, Vali wings, and Goldrod ingots. All beautifully intricate and ornate. 

But all Phil sees is the empty spot where his family’s banner used to be.

Beside the banner wall, Phil spots a large hole in the wall. He runs his hand over a gash in the wood and the hole stitches itself up. He does this several times, pausing to make sure that the damages are fully fixed. By the time he’s made it to the kitchen, Phil’s patched up twenty different cracks and cuts in the spruce walls.

When he enters the room, he’s immediately assaulted with the smell of smoke. He finds a panicked Wilbur trying to put out a fire in the oven. On the marble countertop is a tray of what seems to be charred cookies. Phil really hopes that the oven isn’t damaged beyond repair.

“So, what happened here?” Wilbur whips his head to look at Phil, his alarmed expression melting into one of relief. Phil walks over to the oven and waves his hand over it, the fire extinguishing itself immediately.

“Oh Phil! Thank you so much! I mean, I was making cookies for Tubbo and Niki, but they’re ash now. Hey, it’s the thought it counts, right?” Wilbur babbles, and Phil sighs. The brunett grins sheepishly.

“You do know that you and Tommy have to ask me if you’re going to use the kitchen. You two are absolute disasters at cooking, especially if it's not something simple like boiling noodles,” Phil says, opening the window in the kitchen to air out the smoke. 

“I know. But Niki and Tubbo seemed really down today. They won’t really talk about it, but I figured that a nice gesture would be appreciated,” Wilbur responds, grabbing the tray on the countertop and throwing away the burnt cookies in the trash.

“Well, it’s almost dinner. We could make their favorite dishes,” Phil suggests, and Wilbur’s eyes light up.

“Now why didn’t I think of that? I could have gotten help from your or Techno if I did that,” Wilbur says, as he hurries over to the sink to wash his hands. “What’s their favorite dishes?”

~~~~~

The only sound in the gloom of the swamp was the sloshing of water as Bad trudged through the muck. He grips his satchel tightly, and in his other hand is a white fire torch. The leaves above him block the view of the dark sky and its shining moon. The rattle of skeleton bones makes him turn around and unsheathe his diamond sword, its enchantments casting a purple glow. 

He gasps as his boot gets stuck.

“Oh muffins. If only I didn’t need the only ingredient they had ran out of,” Bad mutters, pulling at his leg to get it unstuck. He’s really beginning to hate his stupid job. The skeleton in the trees draws its bow, and the incoming arrow grazes his shoulder. After a couple unsuccessful tries, he slouches over. Bad puts out his torch. 

If someone was around, they would scream in fear as the green of Bad’s eyes turn pure white, and large spiked wings sprout out of his back. A halo materializes above his head, and horns grow below them. 

He flaps his wings once, twice, before taking off. His foot becomes unstuck, however the muck takes his boot.

“Are you kidding me?” Bad groans, dragging his hand down his face. He doesn’t go back to retrieve his boot though. 

He swoops down to decapitate his bony assailant, cutting it in half with a single swipe. It dissolves into a gray powder, and Bad picks up the bones it left behind and stores it in his satchel. 

He flies higher.

The wind whips through Bad’s now inky hair, and he can’t stop smiling. He can’t remember the last time he’s flown in the past ten years, and it feels exhilarating to be able to soar among the clouds. He scans the surrounding area for the flower that he needs, one that’s cold to the touch and is only collectable after setting it on fire

It’s several minutes before Bad finds one, it’s soft blue glow catching his eye. The clearing the flower is in is completely free of trees and mobs, and he considers it a win.

“Yes!” He cheers, diving down towards the flower. 

“You are going to make a great potion,” Bad says, taking out his flint and steel. He strikes the two together and lights the flower on fire, and it shrivels up on itself.

Carefully, he plucks the bud from its stem and puts it into his bag. He hums as he gets ready to take off, when a weak twitter comes from the bushes beside him. Curious, Bad pushes the branches aside. A red parrot tweets again, looking dejected and terrified.

“Hey, you found my parrot! Thanks!” Bad looks up, and screams.

~~~~~

Fundy feels like he’s forgetting something. 

He splices through the cold air with two fingers. A small holographic screen appears in front of the ginger. Items fill the screen, and Fundy quickly scans the holograph.

“Well goddamnit!” Fundy throws his arms into the air, his inventory holograph dissipating into the air. His map is nowhere in his inventory, and he’s been wandering in several directions for hours.

A gust of wind blows through the trees above him, and a branch breaks in response. When Fundy looks up, the sun is barely peeking above the horizon. He groans. He promised to be back by sundown; Phil and Wilbur would be so worried. As the sun goes lower and lower in the sky, Fundy places his hand on the hilt of his sword. Mobs would be spawning soon.

Vwoop.

Something--a person? An enderman?-- teleports behind him, and Fundy quickly turns to see what it is. He’s come face to face with glowing eyes, and the person lets out an ear splitting screech. A golden crown tumbles off their head, falling to the grassy floor with a thud. Fundy flattens his ears and averts his gaze, wincing from the intensity and the volume of the screams. The person warbles something out, their voice distorting the words past recognition. Fundy raises his arms as the person’s fingers transform into claws.

“S...or..ry.” They manage to choke out. “Not mea..n to sc..are. Wi..ll put glas...ses on.”

Fundy just hums in affirmation, covering his ears back up as another round of screaming starts up. Fundy is sure that all the wailing would have surely attracted something by now. “Yeah, yeah, could you stop screaming? I think my ears are bleeding.”

“I try.” The person’s voice is becoming softer, and Fundy slowly raises his ears and peers at the stranger.

They’re now wearing a pair of dark shades that obscure their eyes, but not the glow emanating from them eyes. A bronze colored pendant is hanging around their neck, and they nervously hold it in their hand.

“Sorry about that,” Their low voice rings through the otherwise silent forest. “Was not expecting to teleport to the middle of nowhere.”

“Loved losing my hearing,” Fundy snarks, and the stranger looks guilty. “But really, it’s fine.”

“Um, I can make it up to you?”

“Can you teleport to places you haven’t been to before? Kind of lost here.”

“Think I can do that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you cannot fathom how many times I've had to rewrite this chapter because I didn't know how to start it


	3. candle lit banquets

Dream tosses a basket onto the stone floor and swings his legs over the parapet of the tower and hauls himself up. The sun is slowly descending, but from his vantage point, he can already see the horses, carriages, and people in elytras making their way into Esempi. The wind whips through his blond hair, and Dream sits on the edge of the stone tower. The ground is covered in a bit of fog, but it's nothing that Dream can’t see through.

“Dream! A little help here?” Dream peers over the ledge and finds both Sapnap and George climbing up the stone walls. Behind them, he can see both Bad and Antfrost, the former handing an elytra and some fireworks to the latter.

“I think that some of the youngest amaisti of our generation can climb up a measly stone tower,” Dream teases, and George sticks his tongue out at him. Both George and Sapnap struggle up the tower, as a burst of color explodes at the bottom. Dream opens the basket and grabs the red and white picnic blanket in it. He spreads it out on the ground in front of him.

Bad and Ant shoot past the duo on the wall, their elytras spread out behind them. On the ground, the color from the fireworks fades away, reds and greens dissipating in the fog. The two land gracefully next to Dream, giving mock bows before taking off the gray wings.

“Wow, you guys came prepared,” Dream says, as Bad tucks both elytras and the extra fireworks in the satchel at his side. 

“You did invite us to a picnic at the top of the front-most tower,” Ant says in reply. Below, George and Sapnap are slowly but surely making their way up the wall.

“Hurry up slowpokes,” Dream says, and Sapnap glares at him.

“Wish I could, but George’s ass is so slow,” The noirett snaps, and the brunett in front of him stops completely. 

“Oh, I’m so sorry. Want me to go even slower?” George retorts, and Dream starts wheezing. 

“You muffins better hurry up. Don’t want the guards to arrest us for supposed trespassing,” Bad calls out, and that’s enough of an incentive to get the boys moving.

When George and Sapnap are close enough to the edge, Dream and Ant help them up. Dream grasps George’s hand in his own, and Ant grabs onto Sapnap’s arm. The two of them haul the duo up, falling back onto the picnic blanket. Dream dusts his green hoodie off, adjusting his white mask so that it rests comfortably on the side of his head. Bad offers his hand to Sapnap to help him up.

“Sorry,” Sapnap says, when Bad hisses in pain. There’s a small burn mark on his palm. “Still haven’t got full control of it.”

“It’s fine. Our weekly lessons have helped though,” Bad replies, searching his satchel for a burn balm. “Before, I would have to encase my whole arm in ice to even give you a high five.”

“Yeah.” Bad hands Sapnap the circular balm container. Sapnap opens it for his friend, and gingerly applies the blue salve to the burn.

“Thanks,” Bad beams, and Sapnap hands him the balm back. The brunett stores the circular container back in his bag.

The five of them take a seat on top of the blanket, George shoving Dream to get a spot on the comfier side. Dream laughs it off, shoving George in retaliation. Ant and Bad carefully take out the food containers, filled with sandwiches and omelettes and Miratbyr Meat Skewers and Flamourn Mushroom Stew. Sapnap immediately goes for the meat skewers, opening the container and snatching two before Bad smacks his hand away. 

Dream grabs the container for the mushroom stew and pours the stew into a plastic bowl he got from the basket. The five of them eat and banter with each other as they watch people from all over Miratbyr stream into the capital of Esempi. 

After a while, Dream lets his spoon fall into his empty bowl. “Have you guys heard about the Void Order?” Everyone else’s expression is blank, but Bad looks up from his bowl, startled. His lips are pursed in a tight line. 

“You don’t want to know about them,” Bad says slowly, his eyes closed as if contemplating something.

“Now that you say that, of course I want to know about them. How would you know about an order that started before the Freedom anyways?” The others look at Bad curiously, Sapnap poking his friend in the shoulder.

“I can’t actually speak about them,” Bad hugs himself tight. “But just know they hate everything about amaisti.”

The silence is tense after that, the only sound coming from the clink of their utensils and the bustle of the city below.

“Hey guys, look,” George exclaims, putting down his plate and pointing at something in the horizon. Ant squints his eyes, scanning the road for what George is pointing at.

“It’s the child!” Dream laughs, watching as a blond struggles to keep afloat in the air. Beside them, a man in a gray robe grabs their forearm to keep them steady. There’s a whole group of them in the sky, all dressed in formal attire. 

“Tommy, right?” Ant asks, and George nods. “Haven’t met him before, but he sounds very… chaotic.”

“That’s an understatement,” Bad says, putting down his half finished bowl of mushroom stew. “He’s-”

A bell tolls seven times, each for signifying the passing of one hour. The sun is still over the horizon, its yellow face hidden behind puffy clouds and craggy mountains. Below them, the city bustles with life. 

“We should pack up now. Go and get ready for the banquet,” Dream says, still watching the group in the sky descend to the front gates. “Don’t want to make my dad mad.”

The group packs up the picnic items, folding the blanket and closing the plastic containers. Dream picks up the basket with one hand.

“See you guys in an hour,” Bad grins, slipping his arms into his elytra. The man hands Ant the other one. “I’ll be bringing a friend over, so don’t be surprised if you see me with someone else!”

Bad jumps off the tower, the gray wings on his back helping him glide through the navy blue sky. Ant follows quickly behind, though heading in the opposite direction of his friend. The rest of them descend the stone tower, Dream dropping the basket on the ground when he makes it to the bottom.

“See you at the banquet!”

~~~~~

Niki walks through the marble halls of the Esempi Hall, following the amaista guiding her and her friends to the main banquet hall. Her lilac dress swirls around her feet, and she grabs at the sides to stop from stepping on it. White torches hang on the walls, along with gray vases filled with lavender and fennel. She’s silent as they make their way to the hall, the only sound the group makes is the click of their footsteps through the otherwise empty hallway. Beside her, Fundy glances nervously at marble walls. He tugs at the gold colored tie around his neck.

“Fundy, are you alright?” Niki whispers, and the fox hybrid practically jumps in the air at the sound of her voice. He gives her a shaky smile. She gives him a skeptical look. “If you’re sure. Just tell me if you need to escape the party for a while.”

“I appreciate it.”

“Alright, we’re here. Find the table that has the name of your manor on it,” The amaista says, and go back down the hallway.

There’s a stage in the front middle of the room, a table reserved for the council leaders on top of it. Above it is a stained glass window depicting the crests of the council families. Already, Niki can see most of the Wastaeken family in their seats, their signature white masks a give away their identities. There’s the Wiielix family, and the Flamourn family, and the Goldrod family all seated at the table, gazing at all of the people gathered in the hall.

The room is decorated with various glowing flowers, most of which Niki doesn’t recognize. Crystal chandeliers hand from the curved ceilings, flower garlands wrapped around the gold bottom bobeches. A total of thirty different tables are lined up on the floor, all covered in white tablecloths and vases with snapdragons. Niki can’t help but admire it, but she wonders how all this luxury is necessary.

Niki follows Phil as he leads the L’Manburg residents to their designated table near the back. Most groups are already in their seats, all dressed in varying shades of blue, purple, and gold, talking amongst themselves. She waves to Minx, who she recognizes from a trip to Esempi a few years back. The purple haired woman waves back, and Niki notices the newly found horns on her head.

Phil directs them to their table, pulling out a seat at the head. Before she sits down, she puts the sword at her hip in her inventory. Fundy takes a seat on her left, wincing as his back touches the chair. Wilbur already looks uncomfortable in his navy suit, his tie already tucked away in the blazer pockets.

“Wait, where’d Tommy and Techno go?” Phil groans, dragging his hand down his face. “I swear, I look away for one second…” 

“I’m pretty sure I saw them sneak into the kitchens,” Tubbo says, pointing to a set of double doors near the hallway they had come out of. Phil gets out of his seat, but immediately sits back down again when the tapping of a microphone reverbs through the hall.

“Good evening people of Miratbyr! It is my honor to have such esteemed guests here at this banquet. As the heads of the manor may know, this is not just a regular banquet. It is one to celebrate our newfound peace with the fae king and terinam queen.” While the Wastaeken head speaks, Niki notices servants carrying silver trays with steaming food into the hall, Techno and Tommy slipping in between them to get to their seats.

“While the fae king was not able to make it, his children were able to in his place. After a long feud, we have been able to finally negotiate on peace between us two.” A man and a woman sitting at a table by themselves give small waves, both dressed in ornate clothing and donning golden circlets. The smiles on their faces are strained.

“Queen Astellic has been very gracious and has talked with us about peace for years, but only now was she able to get all of her council members to agree on the decision.” A woman in purple garb waves from her seat by Minx, black curled horns sprouting from her head. Her smile is genuine.

One of the servants places a tray in front of her, and she thanks them as they walk away. Tommy and Techno take their seats, something wrapped in the napkins in their hands.

“What did you two do in the kitchen?” Phil hisses, and the two of them unwrap the napkins. There’s a whole stack of cookies and biscuits in the tissues, and Tommy looks smug.

“We wanted dessert first.”

“You know, charmed the chefs to give me some desert, like I-” There’s a loud crash from the front of the hall.

Glass sprays across the crowd, and Niki raises her arms to shield her face. A few people scream, mostly nobles who aren’t trained in any professional fighting. But there are people already in a fighting stance, their preferred weapons in hand. Mobs stream in through the open window, endermen, creepers, and skeletons slowly advancing upon the guests of the banquet. 

A gray shape flies in and shrieks, the horrible sound echoing throughout the hall. Niki looks on in terror. 

The Wither.

“amaisti, get everyone outside! Making sure that everyone gets out alive is our number one priority!” Someone yells out, and soon people start streaming out of the hall.

Niki gets swept among the crowd, struggling to get out of the sea of people escaping. From her vantage point, she can see the fae representatives attacking two of the three Wither heads.

She’s lifted off her feet and out of the crowd by Phil, who lands near the edge of the hall. Techno’s already in the fray, sword slashing and tearing through mobs with such ferocity it would put a hoglin to shame. The Wastaeken heir is by his side, and both are a whirlwind of motion as they dispatch mobs as quickly as they can.

But as quickly as the two kill the monsters, just as quickly another one replaces them.

“Niki, I’m going to drop you onto the other side of the room,” Niki nods, and Phil picks her up again. He drops her on the other side of the hall, and goes back into the air, his netherite sword gleaming purple.

Wilbur is by her side, his crossbow ready and loaded. He fires several shots into the crowd of mobs, hitting their mark. Niki’s chakram is already flying, decapitating several monsters before it comes back to her. She spins on her heel to dodge an incoming enderman. A desperate spear stabs through the head of the enderman, killing it instantly. Fundy is holding the shaft of the weapon, a small grin on his face.

“Back up!” Someone screams, and Niki backtracks to the wall pulling Wilbur and Fundy along with her. Walls of pure ice rise from the ground, covering anyone who wasn’t able to back up in time.

There’s an explosion of heat and Niki brings a hand up to her face. In the epicentre of the explosion is someone wearing a white bandana, a giant grin on their face. The mobs closest to him have been burnt to the crisp, and the rest are on fire. The ice walls melt away, revealing a few amaisti hiding behind them.

“Sapnap, give more warning before you do that!” A brunett yells, a boy beside him knocking a skeleton’s bow out of its hands before it can shoot. 

“So sorry Bad,” Sapnap quips, as a boy with goggles swings his axe in an arc. The two move closer to the exit hallway.

Techno comes running over towards Niki and Wilbur, dust from the monsters coating his navy blazer. A blond man with a mask follows close behind him, two netherite swords on his hip.

The fae prince comes tumbling off the Wither, and a woman with angel wings catches him before he hits the ground. She gives a mock salute before placing him on the ground, heading towards a group of amaisti near the hallway. The prince picks up the sunglasses that fell off his face, which shattered from the fall. 

“Where’s Tommy and Tubbo?” Phil swoops down to Niki to ask her, and she scans the fighting for any sign of the boys. “Did they leave with the crowd?”

“We’re here!” Tommy and Tubbo pop up beside them, an axe in both their hands.

A deep rattling laugh becomes the main focus of the room as the mobs stop moving and the lights in the hall go out. The Wither crashes to the ground, leaving behind a lone nether star. The fae prince and princess move closer together, their respective weapons gripped tightly in their hands. In the middle of the room, some black swirls into a cloak, and then into a person.

“Dude, you’re really going for the creepy factor,” Techno says, and a few people start giggling. 

“I mean, that’s what I’m going for, so thanks,” Out of the corner of her eye, Niki can see something forming in the palm of Fundy’s hand. “But anyways.”

The person claps once, and at once, everyone starts glowing. Upon closer inspection, Niki realizes the glow is emitting from the chest. Some people’s glow is brighter than others, the fae royalty and Sapnap being clear examples of this. 

“Oh wow. All I need right here in this little room.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahaha ;)


	4. shadow hidden escape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!! Replaced the last scene in the first chapter !!!

Bad’s hands are shaking. He can barely hold his grimoire, the dark red book still flipped open for an ice spell. He stares at the book in his hands, his neat cursive adorning the pages. He needs his spell, he needs _ the  _ spell. 

But his eyes can’t focus,  _ won’t _ focus.

Beside him, Skeppy points his lance towards the man in the middle, iron coated hand holding the shaft unsteadily. Bad’s grip tightens on his tome. He can’t lose his friend again.

“What do you mean by that?” Dream asks, and Bad has to restrain himself from chucking every spell in his arsenal at the man in the middle of the room. The man just chuckles, a deep and grating sound that reverberates throughout the room.

“Really, trying to get me to spill my secrets so early?” The man tsks, spreading his arms out as if he were going for a hug. Bad squeezes his eyes shut, memories flooding through his brain. 

_ Not now, not now _ , he thought. Through his haze, he can hear the man saying something, in that saccharine voice of his. Someone grips his arm, and Bad’s eyes fly open. Automatically, he knows that his glamour is gone. Skeppy is right in front of him, worry shining in his brown eyes. Bad gives his friend a shaky smile.

In the corner of his peripheral vision, Bad can see the man turn in his direction with a wicked grin.

“Oh, I recognize that face,” the man sing-songs, and everyone in the room turns to look at Bad. He shys away from their gaze, pulling his hood over his face. “Hello, Darryl Halo. Is that your pet? Was stealing my family’s heirloom sword not good enough for you?”

“How dare you!” Bad snarls, pushing his way in front of Skeppy and slamming his grimoire shut. He can feel his fingers slowly turning into claws. “You… you!”

“I would love to chat Sir Halo, but as you can tell, I have something to do here. You know, like, looking for the host of the Nether Flame. The heir of the Flamourn legacy, maybe.” The color drains from Bad’s face. 

Sapnap is on the other side of the room. There’s a sea of tables and chairs in his way. He won’t be able to make it there in time. George and Ant take defensive stances in front of Sapnap, but it does nothing to hide the glowing aura of the noirett’s chest.

“The Nether Flame found a host?” The fae princess sounds horrified, and to be honest, Bad doesn’t blame her. The man in the middle seems to jolt out of a trance, changing his stance slightly.

“Right-o...sweetie?” He says with some finger guns, his voice much higher than before. With a shaky finger, he traces a circle in the air.

The room plunges into darkness, a spell sigil just barely visible in the gloom.

Illusion of fear, it reads, and Bad isn’t prepared for the chaos about to ensue.

Immediately, Bad spells the room alight, but it does nothing to dispel the darkness. People all around him are screaming. Screaming for their friends, screaming for their life, screaming for someone to come save them. Names are being thrown left and right, and near him, Bad can hear Skeppy asking for him.

“Geppy? Geppy?” Bad calls out, pausing when he hears Sapnap yell.

“Dream! George! Somebody--Help me!” Sapnap cries out, his voice breaking. Bad flips through his tome book in the dark, finding a tracking spell, its symbol glowing a deep blue. 

“Sapnap! I’m coming!” Dream shouts, and Bad readies the spell. 

Focusing on his friend’s aura, Bad draws a deep breath and lets the spell fly. It takes effect immediately, and the deep blue sigil shows so close that Bad could touch it. As fast as his feet can take him, Bad darts in that direction.

Bad reaches his hand out for the symbol, his hand passing through the dark blue image and grabbing onto fabric. The owner turns to face him, and Bad’s shoulders sag in relief. Sapnap is staring right at him, and the noirett desperately grabs at the older man’s sleeves.

“Bad… don’t let go, please,” Sapnap begs him, his bold and brash nature hidden under fear. From the limited light he has from his eyes, Bad can see something clamped onto his friend’s wrist.

Bad tries to follow his friend’s request. He pulls his friend closer to him, and Sapnap grasps the back of his shirt like his life depends on it. The older man winces as Sapnap’s power burns through his cotton shirt. Despite that, he keeps a tight grip on his friend.

But Bad can feel tendrils snaking around his legs, his waist, his arms. They pull and tear at him, and he gasps as one pierces his chest.

“Bad!” He crumbles onto the floor, Sapnap still keeping a tight grip on him. The item on Sapnap’s wrist yanks him backwards, taking Bad with him. Through the haze of pain, someone grabs onto Bad’s arm.

“C’mon, grab onto Sapnap!”

“I’m trying!”

“You’ll be fine, Bad, ok?”

“Sayanora! Regards from the fae king himself!” 

_ Clink. _

As the man disappears, a golden coin drops, a ram engraved on the front.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmao I am so sorry for not posting for almost a month
> 
> also, I changed the term for the 'shadow hunters' in this universe
> 
> Let me know if I should put a warning anywhere or if you notice any mistakes!


End file.
